From Yoga to Zumba, Campus Gyms Aim to Entice Students

Officials on college campuses are turning to usage data and student feedback to shape fitness programs, hoping it will entice more students to develop healthy habits. Kirk Irwin/WSJ

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... years ago student recreation on college campuses mostly men playing intramural football or shooting hoops at the gym ... but on a recent weekday afternoon students at Ohio State University lined up for a cycling tuition class that is filled to capacity ... the class was just one of one hundred thirty group fitness classes ... that Ohio State now offers a week ... and everything from Latin dance to waive thank you ... there's a much broader array of activities that because we realize that would recreation nice to get students ... up and moving it sucks because of activities we now include the group fitness classes outdoor adventure programs and ... aquatic so operation ... along with a focus on personal finance professor ... students can be a fickle bunch so schools like Ohio State track with students to ... your ID card swipes at the entrance or facilities and of cos it's a lot of attention here what students want what their expectations ... and a we also examined data very careful ... look at ... who is coming or programs to visit our facilities in Gaza ... and explore those areas little more deeply ... I ... Ohio State officials knew there was a demand from group fitness classes that some students seemed reluctant to join and ... so those who dropped to seventy five dollars each group fitness ... and participation jumped thirty percent ... I thought you all ... they are cards here ... but let it ... sell its author of The ... Othman to show up ... that that that that dog and now they come in the pre workout ... women have become the majority of students at universities nationwide and they have driven the expansion of group fitness classes on campus in college as well as the commercial gems group fitness classes tend to attract far more women than men ... but Ohio State is looking only for students who are already that this bucks ... it wants to create new law it's the number one reason why we are told students or ... nine users are due to the facilities that they don't ... so we have ... a wider range of time winner of a factor in the morning some of our let's go perfectly ... the second reason ironically on our campuses that this to say that the rec center to for a walk through and that a third reason is that people feel intimidated by what happens here people think that they'll be the thinking is that it was ... so we've been spending a lot of energy screen videos ... showing people demonstration opportunities on how to use equipment Harbert spinner program ... and the final pumping iron at the gym still doesn't appeal to some students ... OSU offers to clean fitness programs write to them in the comfort of the goings if you live in a residence halls you can have ... the fitness fun actually come here residence hall into ... the string class or some type of a dual class on your for ... baby traditionally working on a fighter thing but ... when you can find something here in the right side ... Korea ...